The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group has announced plans to enhance its offerings by providing “always on” trading for cryptocurrency markets starting in 2026.
In a notice issued on Thursday, the CME Group stated that, pending regulatory approval, it will permit clients to trade cryptocurrency futures and options “24 hours a day, seven days a week starting in early 2026.” This new “around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading” marks a major expansion of its services, eliminating current scheduled breaks on weekends, holidays, and outside regular business hours.
“While not all markets can operate 24/7, there is a significant client demand for around-the-clock cryptocurrency trading as market participants need to manage their risks daily,” remarked CME Group’s global head of equities, FX, and alternative products, Tim McCourt. “Being able to maintain accessible regulated cryptocurrency markets ensures clients can trade confidently at any moment.”
Related: CME Group to launch options on Solana, XRP futures in October
According to CoinMarketCap data, the global open interest in crypto derivatives was approximately $3.2 billion at the time of publication. As of Sept. 18, CME Group reported a notional open interest volume of around $39 billion.
Awaiting regulatory review amid a US government shutdown
The regulatory review of these trading options will fall under the jurisdiction of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which oversees derivatives markets. However, the CFTC is currently functioning on a limited basis due to the US Congress’s inability to pass a budget bill, making it improbable that the regulator will review 24/7 trading until the shutdown is resolved.
During a joint roundtable discussion this week involving the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and CFTC, CME Group CEO Terrence Duffy mentioned that “the market is going to demand” 24/7 trading soon, asserting that cryptocurrency was the “best way to achieve this.”
Although many believe it is highly unlikely that a US government shutdown would persist into 2026 — the record length is 35 days, occurring between 2018 and 2019 — no deal was being considered at the time of publication.
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